Potion Explosion

Right, so here's the thing about Potion Explosion on digital: I love the physical version. Proper love it. Them marbles clacking into your greedy little mitts is one of the great tactile joys of the hobby - up there with cracking a fresh box or the smell of a rulebook nobody's going to read. So naturally I thought, go on then, why not the digital equivalent? Same hit of dopamine, none of the faff, and crucially nothing for the cat to launch off the table at half three in the morning. And you know what? It's a decent port. Decent. The premise is lovely and, bless it, idiot-proof - which suits me down to the ground. Everyone starts with potions to brew, each one demanding certain bits. You pluck a marble out the dispenser, everything above it slides down like the world's most passive-aggressive Tetris, and if two of the same colour clatter into each other - bang, explosion, and you're scooping up the lot like a kid who's just spotted the good biscuits are out. Then you cook your potions, bank your points, set off some smug little power, grab another recipe. Only there's a catch: you've got a tiny tank to stash your leftovers, so hoard like a greedy sod and you're properly stuck. Mos…

Potion Explosion is fun because when you take one marble and a bunch of others explode, it’s really satisfying to watch. It’s pretty easy to learn, but you still have to think about which marble will make the best combo. It’s also fun to play with friends because big explosions can happen and everyone gets excited.

Potion Explosion completely broke (miscalculated interactions and the tutorial somehow had invalid options) when I first tried it. However, after some repairs and troubleshooting, I can see why people like the boardgame. There are elements from match-3 games, but the implementation is limited: You select and remove 1 marble from 1 track each turn and, if marbles of the same color collide as a result, you'll get the extra marbles. There's also an ability to pay points to get a free marble, which is a much stronger ability than you'd think. The result is a fairly basic system that cascades as you complete potions with your marbles that provide yet more abilities. Assuming Potion Explosion will also work for you, after you repair and reboot the game, I can recommend it. The cascade of options is basic but can be addicting, even if the results are never as vibrantly explosive as a true match-3 game like Bejewled.

....

one of best board game in real life

Quite cute digital version of the board game. Ideal to play with one or two more players locally, great fun for kids too.